Belt buckle



J. B. FREYSINGER Oct. 12 1926.

BELT BUCKLE Filed April 24, 1925 Patented Oct. f2, 1926.

UNITED srz -x 'rlzfs PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. FREYSINGER, or New B ITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG'NOR "r0 NORTH a JUIDD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF

NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

BELT BUCKLE.

This inventionrelates to belt buckles for personal wear and has for its object the provision of a construction whereby the lever or bail may be very easily and cheaply assembled with the gripper so that it cannot be separated therefrom and will operate in a highly efficient manner to rock the gripper and effect release or engagement of the belt. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and consists in certain novel features which will be hereinafter first fully described and then particularly defined in the claims.

In the drawing z- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a buckle embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the gripper and the lever or bail;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4'-4 of Figure 3.

The face plate 1 may be of the usual or any approved form having side flanges 2 provided at proper points with openings to receive elements whereby the gripper 3 is pivotally mounted upon the rear side of the face plate. The gripper is formed from a single integral blank of sheet metal bent.

into form in a stamping machine and includes a rear bridging member or head 4, side members or clamping lips 5 and 6, and end members 7. The clamping lips are parallel and their free edges are usually convex, as at 8, to conform to the popular formation of the face plate and effectually clam the belt thereto, while the end members close the spaces between the ends of the lips and are provided with aligned eccentric openings 9 to receive the pivoting element or elements. The clamping lip 5 is imperforate throughout its area but the lip 6 is provided with aligned notches or openended slots 10 at its ends to accommodate the side members of the lever or bail 11. The closed end of this lever or bail constitutes a loop for the engagement of the attaching end of the belt while its side members 12 extend through the slots 10 and have their ends turned outwardly to form trunnions or pivots 13 passing through the openings 9 and the corresponding openings in the flanges 2, the extremities of the trunnions being upset against the outer sides of Application filed April 24, 1925. Serial No. 25,623.

the flanges, as indicated at 14, to secure the parts against separation.

The side members of the bail or lever are somewhat resilient so that pressed toward each other, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, to enter between the end members of the gripper'and the slots 10 are long enough to easily admit the bent ends or trunnions of the bail. The slots are also wide enough to allow play of the gripper relative to the bail and the eccentric locatlon of the trunnion or pivot permits the aw 6 to obtain a strong grip upon the buckled end of the belt when the latter tends to pull in a direction away from the bail.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, 1t will be seen that I have-provided a very s1mple, inexpensive and eflicient buckle. The gripper presents two clamping lips to engage the belt so that the belt will be very securely held without any detrimental biting into the material of the belt. The pivotal mounting being a part of the bail, the number of parts is minimized and production facilitated while the bail is so engaged with the gripper that the latter may be easily lgop-ked to effect release or engagementof the Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A belt buckle comprising a bodyportion including a face plate, a gripper mounted in said body portion and cooper-able with said face plate to grip a belt, said gripper having parallel clamping lips, a head connecting the rear edges of the lips, the front edges of the lips constituting belt engaging and clamping elements, and transverse end members forming integral parts of the gripper fitting closely within and supporting the ends of the lips, said end members filling the spaces at the ends of the lips, and means connected with the gripper for operating it.

2. In a belt buckle, the combination of a faceplate having side flanges, a gripper including clamping lips and end members between the lips, and a lever bail having its side portions passing through one of the clamping lips and its ends forming trunnions pivotally engaged in the end members of the gripper and the flanges of the face plate. 7

they may be 3. In a. belt-buckle, the combination of A face plate, a gripper for cooperation with the face plate and having parallel clamping lips and end members between the lips, and a lever bail engaged in one lip of the grip per whereby to carry anal rock the same, said lever bail being pivotally connected with the face plate at the ends of the gripper.

4-. In 21- belt buckle, the combination of a face plate having side flanges, a gripper disposed between the fiunges and including clamping lips and end members between the lips and provided in its ends with eeeentrie openin s and in one lip withslots, and it lever bail having its side members passing 10 through said slots and its ends extending outwardly through the openings in the end members of the gripper and pivotally secured in the side flanges of the face plate,

In testimony whereof, I have signed this 20 specification.

JOHN B. FREYSINGER. 

